10:00 am

Room A

Opening Keynote: Entrepreneurial Mindset & Resources

Kick off the bootcamp with Alexa Bigwarfe’s motivational session on the entrepreneurial mindset and maximizing your conference experience.

Alexa Bigwarfe is an author, publisher, and founder of the Women in Publishing Summit. She helps writers build businesses around their books and inspires creative entrepreneurs to step confidently into their CEO roles.

10:45 am

Room A

3 Stories: The Business Model Canvas with Kasie Whitener

Strategically map your author or publishing business using a one-page visual model.

In this interactive workshop, Kasie uses storytelling to help you explore the Business Model Canvas — a one-page framework that shows how your business creates and captures value. You’ll identify opportunities, fix inefficiencies, and leave with a strategic overview of your creative business. Whether you’re just starting or scaling, this session is your blueprint. Why the Business Model Canvas? The Business Model Canvas helps author entrepreneurs and publishing professionals see the big picture of how their creative business works—from audience to income—so they can grow intentionally and sustainably. It’s a strategic tool for clarifying goals, streamlining efforts, and unlocking new revenue opportunities beyond book sales.

Kasie Whitener is a business strategist and host of Write On SC. She teaches business and entrepreneurship at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Kasie brings deep knowledge of entrepreneurship and storytelling to her business planning workshops for authors.

This is a session for all attendees – experienced or not, it’s never a bad idea to give a fresh look at your business.

12:45 pm

Room A

Lunch & Networking

1:15 PM

Room A – Lunch Keynote

How to Become the CEO of Your Author Business with Lorna Bailey

Being a profitable author or small business owner may seem more overwhelming than ever, but it doesn’t have to be. In this empowering session, Lorna Bailey will show you how to create systems, implement processes, and confidently delegate tasks so you can stop wearing all the hats and start leading your author business like a true CEO. Perfect for authors and publishing industry professionals who want to go from scattered and stressed to streamlined and strategic.

Lorna Bailey helps solopreneurs create strong business infrastructure and hire strategically to reduce overwhelm.

2:05 PM

Room A

Creating a Writer’s Business Plan with Nicolette Lemmon

A guided approach to goal-setting, marketing, and budgeting.

Nicolette provides a practical walkthrough of how to write a business plan that supports both creative and personal success as an author. Develop a real business plan that integrates your personal goals, financial targets, and publishing strategy.

Best for: Authors seeking clarity and structure to guide their business decisions.

Nicolette Lemmon is a business strategist and writer who helps authors create business plans that align with their goals.

2:05 PM – 4:05 PM

Room B

Optimizing Publishing Operations with Tieshena Davis

This is a two hour deep dive for publishers, self-publishing assist, and other industry professionals. Publishing isn’t just creativity — it’s operations, workflow, and scale. In this deep-dive workshop, Tieshena Davis walks you through setting up systems, automating bottlenecks, and building the infrastructure your publishing business needs to thrive. Ideal for experienced authors, publishers, and teams ready to professionalize their backend.

Level: Advanced
Audience: Experienced publishers and industry professionals ready to streamline and scale operations

Tieshena Davis is the founder of Publish Your Gift® and a nationally recognized expert in operational strategy for authorpreneurs and indie publishers.

3:05 PM

Room A

How To Find Grants and Alternative Funding For Your Author Business with Danielle Corbett

Learn how to research and apply for grants and creative business funding.

What if you could get paid to write, teach, or grow your publishing venture? Danielle Corbett shows authors and indie publishers how to find and apply for grant funding aligned with your mission and goals. This session demystifies the grant process and helps you start building revenue streams that go beyond sales.

Danielle Corbett is a grant writer and author who helps creatives tap into mission-based funding.

4:15-5:15 PM

Come meet our experts and go into breakout groups to ask your questions.

 Office Hours With Experts

Come join us for networking and breakout rooms where you can ask questions of the available experts from today’s sessions!